The whole of RVNG Intl.’s FRKWYS series — which has been connecting generations of exploratory music via collaborative commissions since the moment RVNG transformed from a mixtapes-and-edits imprint into a record label proper — is remarkable. But this truly is a jewel in its crown. Composer/producer Yoshio Ojima and pianist Satsuki Shibano were both established names in Japan’s "environmental music" scene of the 1980s and 90s — while Portland, Oregon’s Spencer Doran and Ryan Carlile aka Visible Cloaks are distinctly future-facing sound designers exploring generative techniques in often extreme abstraction. Together, they clearly found the highest common factor between their mutual approaches: while this isn’t without its similarities to 80s ambience, really it sounds like the future that you imagine the 80s producers were trying to manifest. VC’s fathomless subsonics and mutating glassy tones are perfectly held in place by Ojima and Shibano’s exquisite sense of space and patience. It feels like your mind is being cleaned moment by moment as you soak it in.

– Joe Muggs